Distance makes the heart grow fonder, Or was it weaker?
by Ar1ana
Summary: Dudley and Harry have been going out for a few months now, and they feel like they will stay together forever. But then the unthinkable happens; Harry gets an unexpected letter. Will its contents bring them closer, or tear them apart for good. Only time will tell. And yes I know they are technically cousins in the books, but I will deal with that issue in a later chapter. on hiatus
1. The Night Before - How it All Started

It was there last night together. Tomorrow, Harry Potter would be leaving for a magic boarding school and there was nothing Dudley could do about it. It was their last night together, and he was making sure it would be perfect. After all, this would be the last time they would be able to be together for a while. Their only form of communication would be through the mail, and Dudley wasn't even sure how that would work. Was he just supposed to trust that an owl would deliver his mail to Harry intact? It just didn't make any sense!.

But back to their perfect night.

Dudley had set candles all around his spare bedroom, now Harry's. It was the only place they could be together and be sure that they would not be found out. Dudley's parents would not dare step foot in Harry's room for fear that they would get turned into frogs or something. This made it the perfect place for them to hang out.

It had all started about a year ago, when Harry, in one of his fits of anger, had shouted that it wasn't fair that Dudley got all the food while he got barely scraps. Dudley had been surprised to say the least. It, for some reason, had not occurred to him that Harry would be hungry. He was so small anyways.

His mom had replied that her Dudikins needed the food, to which Harry had said that a fat pig like him didn't need any more. At this, his father had stood up, smacked Harry across the face, and sent him to his cupboard. Dudley, for the first time, felt ashamed of his weight. He couldn't figure out why at first, but he grew to be obsessed with losing weight and getting more fit. He only ate one helping of food, and ran in the mornings, taking a quick shower afterwards before going to school. After school, he did sit-ups and push-ups in the living room while watching his favorite television shows. His mother and father had been worried to say the least. He had had to tell them multiple times that he was, in fact, not on drugs or in a gang, or in a rebellious stage. He simply didn't like that fact that people (especially Harry, though he didn't tell his parents this) would think of him as fat. Over time, they grew used to it. They made Harry cook healthier foods to feed to Dudley as well as the fatty steaks and burgers to feed to them. With Dudley eating less, he had hoped that more food would go to Harry, but since he was always the one cooking the food, he would be blamed for wasting food if he made too much and wouldn't get any dinner at all!

Harry had noticed Dudley's change in attitude, but had note it in a passing thought. It, after all, only made more work for him, though the energy he had been expending on exercise seemed to lessen the amount of insults he had been receiving from him. He had assumed he had just been too tired for it.

Then many things had happened at once.

Dudley had been going out one morning for his run when he spotted Harry laying under the windowsill, listening to the morning news. He had been mowing the lawn and, so he could cool off, had taken his shirt off. Harry's thin, yet lean muscles were on display, his sweat clearly evident in the morning sun. He seemed to had his eyes closed, almost as if he was taking a nap, but he muttered to himself every once in a while in response to something the anchorman had said.

Dudley was hypnotized. This beautiful creature had been living in his house for 10 years, and he had never noticed. Dudley was flabbergasted. He wanted more than anything to spill his feelings for Harry right then and there, but his parents were right there, next to the open window, not to mention the fact that Harry hated him. He would have to find some way to share his feelings without outright rejection first.

So Dudley got to thinking. First he would have to show that he cared about Harry's well-being in some way. Dudley began to stick up for Harry in small ways, like complementing the food and changing the subject when painful or dangerous topics came up.

Harry had finally started to notice. Harry was thanking his lucky stars that Dudley seemed to hate the confrontation between them. Dudley was thanking his lucky stars that it was working.

Dudley began to worry about Harry's health, so he slipped extra food into the cupboard secretly, hoping that it would make some kind of difference.

Then one day, after his mother and father were had gone for their monthly night out a town, Dudley went and knocked on the cupboard door. He was hesitant at first, barely touch the wood the first time. After it had appeared that Harry hadn't heard him, he knocked again, louder this time. He heard a groan as the door opened a crack.

"Who is it?" came the weak voice of one Harry Potter.

Dudley immediately know something was wrong. This wasn't the wary voice that Harry used while talking to his parents. This wasn't the small voice that Harry used when he was bullied at school. This wasn't even the quiet, snide voice that he used when he was muttering curse under his breath. This was a weak, sick voice.

"Harry, are you alright?!" Dudley said, wrenching the door open as he did so.

Harry shielded his eyes from the sudden light. "What are you doing Dudley? I didn't think I had done anything wrong today."

Dudley's heart tore in two. Here Harry was, looking as white as a sheet and sounding as sick as the dying, and he was worried that Dudley was going to punish him for something that he didn't do. This was too much for Dudley to bear, so without thinking, brought Harry up in a big bear hug, being very careful not to hurt Harry in doing so.

"Let me go get you some medicine, " Dudley said. "I'll only be a second."

Harry, finding this too bizarre to believe, wrote it off as a dream and closed his eyes to go back to sleep.

A few minutes later, Dudley came back with some cold medicine. He carefully measured out the clear, red liquid and lifter Harry's mouth up so he could drink it. After Dudley made sure that Harry had drunken it all, he went and got a spare blanket from the closet and draped it over Harry's shivering form. It wasn't until Dudley, after kissing Harry on the forehead, had to run up to his room when he heard his parents at the door did he realize he hadn't had a chance to confess his love to Harry.

The next day, when Harry woke up, he couldn't figure out if it had all been a dream or not. Had Harry, in his delirious state, imagined Dudley actually being kind to him? Had he kissed him? And did he want it to be true? To many questions lingered in Harry's mind as he prepared breakfast; pancakes and French toast for Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon and scrambled eggs for Dudley. He got so distracted that he slightly burned the eggs for Dudley, but he thankfully didn't say anything. That was one blessing at least.

Dudley looked up at him and smiled. Harry was so startled that he almost missed him chair sitting down. His heart fluttered in a way it wasn't supposed to. What was this feeling? Harry certainly didn't know.

A few more days passed, and Harry was getting rather paranoid. He was finally noticing that Dudley wasn't treating him like dirt anymore. He noticed every time Dudley changed the subject for Harry's benefit, every time Dudley smiled at him, and every time Dudley stood up for him. Harry would equate it to "Twilight Zone," if he had been allowed to watch television in the first place. All the things he hadn't noticed before, he did now.

Finally, Harry couldn't stand it anymore. He decided to confront Dudley about it. He was worried at first. What if he had been imagining it and Dudley laughed at him. What if he got beat up because of his "freakish" thoughts? Harry decided, though, it wouldn't be anything new. Better to clear up the whole situation and face the consequences then to walk on eggshells, not sure how Dudley felt about him.

Harry decided he would catch Dudley after his morning run. That way, if Harry was wrong, he would most likely be able to outrun Dudley if worse came to worse.

Harry was waiting on the front steps when Dudley turned the corner. He was panting hard, but still moving at a very respectable speed. He had his headphones in as he jogged, glassy eyes facing forward. When he slowed to a stop at the front steps, he almost didn't notice the small frame of Harry sitting on them. This was new. Harry was normally doing housework by now.

Dudley took out his head phones and looked down to Harry as he stood up. "Can we talk?" questioned Harry. "There's something I want to ask you."

"Sure," Dudley said, motioning for them to move to the side of the house where his parents couldn't hear them.

After they made it to the shade of the wall, Dudley asked, "So, what did you want to ask me?"

Before Harry could say anything, his breath hitched at the attraction he was feeling towards Dudley. His sweaty shirt that was intoxicating and his deep voice took Harry's breath away. After calming his beating heart once again, Harry said, "I was wondering why the sudden change in attitude. Not too long ago, you were bullying me for fun, and now you almost seem like you might like me. What's going on?"

"I like you Harry."

There it was. Dudley had plainly, without any hesitation whatsoever, stated that he liked Harry. It was a miracle Harry didn't faint right then and there.

"What do you mean by 'like'?" Harry asked more softly, as if afraid of the answer.

"I like you as more than just a brother, as more than just a friend. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, though I can understand if you feel differently. I never had done anything to make you like me after all."

Harry was speechless.

What was he supposed to say to that? That he liked him too? But he wasn't sure. He still didn't completely understand these feelings he was having that were making his heart ache. But one thing was for sure. He was beyond happy about what Dudley had said. It was the first time in his life he had ever felt loved by another human being.

Dudley was quite surprised when he felt Harry jump into his arms for a hug. He felt something wet on the front of his shirt, and realized it was Harry crying. Dudley embraced him, much like he had when Harry had been sick, and whispered soothing word into his ears. "It's all going to be alright. You're okay. It's all going to be alright."

After Harry managed to calm down some, Dudley whispered, "I'm going to go inside now. You count to 30 and follow me. Okay?"

Harry nodded, seeing the wisdom in Dudley's words.

After that, things had slowly begun to progress. Harry and Dudley would share meaningful looks throughout the day and greet each other when they could. After a mysterious letter had appear, causing Dudley's father, Harry's Uncle Vernon to move Harry to the extra bedroom, they met there in secret, sharing words of encouragement, and soon after, love.

When Harry finally decided he was happy with his life, sharing his and Dudley's secret moments together, the universe decided to throw them a curve ball. On his birthday, after vacationing on a deserted island for some reason, Harry awoke next to Dudley on the couch to the sound of the front doors breaking down. A huge man with a long, black beard and a pink umbrella invited himself in, claiming that Harry was a wizard and that he had been sent to bring his letter of acceptance to the "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." It had all sounded rather unbelievable, but after he had shot fireballs out of the end of his umbrella, Harry was willing to believe anything.

When he was told he had a choice of going, at first he said no. Why would he leave Dudley for a school of strangers when he was finally happy about his life? But after Dudley pulled him to the side and spoke to him, he reluctantly changed his mind. Dudley had pointed out that, at Hogwarts, he would have the chance to make friends like he had never been able to at public school. He also said, at Hogwarts, he wouldn't be in danger of angering his aunt and uncle. Dudley said that, if they only had to put up with him during the summer, he might be able to warm up to them so that they would be more accepting of his relationship with Dudley (though they both knew that that was incredibly unlikely, given that they were not only against wizards but where homophobic as well).

It would break their hearts, but since Dudley was willing to let Harry go for his own happiness and wellbeing, Harry was willing to leave Dudley behind, though they promised to send letters to each other every day.

And that brings us back to their perfect night.

Dudley had placed candles, unscented so as not to leave a trace, all around Harry's room. Being careful not set the whole place on fire, he lit each one with care.

After Harry finished doing the dishes, he came up to go to bed. When he opened the door, he was beyond touched. No-one had ever done anything like this for him before.

After closing the door behind him, Harry was pulled into Dudley's warm embrace. "I love you Harry." "I love you too." they chorused. After that, Dudley pulled Harry down onto their bed, as they were calling it. Most nights now, after Dudley's parents had gone to sleep, Dudley would slip into Harry's room and they would sleep together, hand in hand. In the mornings, Dudley would slip out of bed, rumple his sheets so it looked like he had slept in them (but not too much, seeing as Harry had to make his bed after breakfast), and get dressed for his, now habitual, morning jog.

Harry and Dudley, laid in the bed, silently looked into each other's eyes. Dudley would ruffle Harry's messy hair and Harry would snuggle up beside him. After what felt like hours, Harry began to speak.

"I don't have to go you know. I can refuse if I want to."

"I shouldn't be the reason you don't take this amazing opportunity, Harry," Dudley said, Harry's name sounding like an angel's from Dudley's lips. Harry had never like his name before Dudley had come into his life in a romantic way. Who would want to be named after a trait that was normally considered disgusting and ugly?

"But what if I don't fit in? What if I am lousy at magic and they say they have made a mistake? What if they say I can never see you again?"

"Then they don't deserve you, but you don't have to worry about that. You are so talented and beautiful. Who wouldn't like you? And you will be back during the summers. That big guy with the umbrella said so."

"His name is Hagrid, and yes. I guess he did say that."

Dudley pouted. Obviously Harry had purposely neglected to comment on the fact that he had called him beautiful, as if he didn't believe it himself. He would have to fix that. So Dudley, with slow, deliberate movements, began to train kisses up Harry's arms, starting with his pinky finger and moving up to his ear. Harry tried to pull away at first, but Dudley held on firmly, careful not to hurt him. In between each kiss, he said. "Harry," kiss. "You," kiss, "are," kiss "the," kiss, "most," kiss, "beautiful," kiss, "person," kiss, "I," kiss, "have," kiss, "ever," kiss, "met." After that, Dudley looked deep into Harry's eyes and said, without any hesitation, "And don't you think otherwise."

After that, Dudley pulled Harry closer to himself and hugged him until they both fell asleep.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxo**

**I just want to thank Brien James for being my first follower. It means the world to me that you think my story is worth reading. You are my new best friend :)**


	2. King's Cross Station - Train ride

**Last time -**

Dudley pouted. Obviously Harry had purposely neglected to comment on the fact that he had called him beautiful, as if he didn't believe it himself. He would have to fix that. So Dudley, with slow, deliberate movements, began to train kisses up Harry's arms, starting with his pinky finger and moving up to his ear. Harry tried to pull away at first, but Dudley held on firmly, careful not to hurt him. In between each kiss, he said. "Harry," kiss. "You," kiss, "are," kiss "the," kiss, "most," kiss, "beautiful," kiss, "person," kiss, "I," kiss, "have," kiss, "ever," kiss, "met." After that, Dudley looked deep into Harry's eyes and said, without any hesitation, "And don't you think otherwise."

After that, Dudley pulled Harry closer to himself and hugged him until they both fell asleep.

**Chapter 2: King's Cross Station - Train ride**

Harry was being dropped off at King's Cross when an evil smirk appear across his Uncle Vernon's face. "Well, there you are, boy. Platform nine- platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?"

Dudley and Harry exchanged worried looks. "Perhaps we should take him back home?" Dudley suggested cautiously to his father. "He has no place to go."

"Rubbish," replied his father. "We have the date and place right. He can figure it out," he said, pointing to Harry. Then, with sarcasm heavy in his voice, he turned on Harry and said, "Have a good term."

Dudley followed his parents back into the car, sharing one last look with his love. When his father hit the gas and drove off, he began to laugh. Knowing his father would be furious if they didn't play along, him and his mother laughed with him. But Dudley couldn't fake it as well as he normally did. The abandoned look on Harry's face was too much for him. Thankfully, his father's laugh was so obnoxious, he couldn't hear the hesitation in Dudley's voice.

Meanwhile, Harry was about to lose it. Just like he had thought, Dudley had abandoned him in the end. Could he have been more stupid? How could anyone love an ugly, awkward person like him?

He started stroking Hedwig through the cage to calm himself down. The bird had been his first friend, first confidant. Harry, of course, was not including Dudley in this, since he had never considered him a friend. He had been an enemy, but then transformed into a love interest. He had skipped right over friend. Hedwig had been given to Harry as a gift from Hagrid who and taken him on a, for lack of a better word, magical trip through Diagon Alley to get his schoolbooks and school supplies.

If Harry had ever been told the story of Cinderella, he would have equated his position to the clock striking midnight. It was all over.

Harry was about to fall into despair when he heard an ungrateful sounding boy, about his age and with bright, red hair, complaining about being late. To this, his mother replied with a pointed look, "It's your own fault for waiting till the last minute, Ron, with your first day of schooling being tomorrow no less. I told you that it would be packed with Muggles. Of course you didn't believe me, did you?"

Harry, upon hearing the name that Hagrid had used when referring to his adoptive parents, perked up. Perhaps all was not lost. Maybe he was in the right place, he had just missed a side corridor or something. Harry started to follow them, noticing that they, like him, carried an owl. More proof he was in the right place, he reasoned. What normal person would carry around a pet owl?

"Excuse me," Harry whispered to the one who he assumed was the kids' mother.

"Hello Dear. Did you need something?" she asked with hesitation, most likely wondering if he was possibly a lost Muggle or if he was, in fact, a first-year student at Hogwarts.

"The thing is I am looking for platform 9 3/4, but I can't seem to find it. I don't know how to get on to it either. Could you help me?" he asked, trying his best not to sound like he was actually feeling, scared and alone.

"Oh!" she said, understanding dawning on her. "This must be your first time at Hogwarts. Not to worry. Just follow my boys through the barrier between nine and ten. It's best if you do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous."

Harry, thinking she had perhaps gone insane, just shook his head and began to walk away. However, before he had turned his back completely on the family, he saw, to his astonishment, that two of the boys did indeed walk straight through the brick pillar.

Deciding that it was worth a try, since his day really couldn't get any worse, he started walking towards a pillar. At the last second, he thought to himself, What if this is the wrong pillar? Maybe only one pillar in the entire station works. Then he realized he was being stupid. It wouldn't make sense to try and fit hundreds of students through one little pillar, single file. It would take all day! That got him to wondering why the kid Ron's family had been in such a hurry, passing plenty of perfectly good pillars, until they came to the one nearest Harry. And what about all the Muggles at the station? Didn't they ever find it strange that people were running through walls? It just didn't make sense.

By the time all of this ran through Harry's head, Harry was through the pillar and on the platform. It was like walking into another world. The station was a mirror of the one he had just come from, but there was only one train. This train was like something out of a train set someone had gotten for Christmas. It was a deep scarlet and was packed with hundreds of kids, his age and older.

Harry pulled his trunk with his school books over to the train, along with his owl cage. Though the trunk had to weigh twice as much as Harry, he was able to pick it up without too much difficulty. After all, when you work in the yard, mowing the lawn and weeding the garden all summer, and slowing snow and cutting firewood in winter, you tend to gain muscles in all the right places. Though Harry was much too short and underweight for his age, it wasn't due to lack of muscles.

Apparently, he didn't look as strong as he was, and one of the kid Ron's brothers (he remembered him being with them at the station and they had the same flaming red hair) offered his help. Never being offered help before, Harry stood speechless, so the boy took it as a yes. "My name is George by the way. Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!"

Harry was even more surprised when George's doppelganger showed up. "Here, let me take that," the one named Fred both of their help, Harry managed to get his trunk and bird cage onto the train.

"Thanks," Harry said. The twins, in harmony, said, "No problem Harry," and went back to wherever they came from.

Only afterwards did Harry realize he had never told them his name...

But that wouldn't happen until later. Right now, Harry was more concerned with finding a compartment. It was like the first day of school again. As Harry walked down the aisle, he looked through the compartment windows for someone he could ask to sit with. But everyone seemed to already have their group of friends. I guess that was just what happened when you grew up with other wizards. You made wizard friends. Again, Harry thought about how unfair it had been to be left with his Aunt and Uncle. Though Hagrid had tried to explain how it was the safest place for him, Harry still couldn't see it. If they knew exactly where to send the letter (the deserted island that Harry had been on when Hagrid appeared), then how could they not know about his home life? The only good thing that he could figure that came of the whole situation was Dudley, and it would be almost a whole year before Harry would see him again.

Though this circular thinking brought back the sadness Harry was feeling earlier, he was able to look at the situation more clearly. Dudley couldn't have done anything about his parents leaving him at King's Cross. He had tried to convince his parents to bring Harry back home with them after-all. And it had all worked out in the end. Harry was now of the "Hogwart's Express," according to the sign, which would take him to his new home.

Harry finally decided on an empty compartment near the back of the train. After putting his things in the overhead, Harry plopped down in the seat and proceeded to stare out the window absentmindedly. He was about to fall asleep from his emotionally exhausting day when the kid named Ron poked his head through the door.

"Anyone sitting there?" he asked, looking at Harry like a lost puppy. "Everywhere else is full."

Harry shook his head, wondering what is was about himself that made the whole, redheaded family attracted to him like flies. Though Harry wasn't complaining of course. Perhaps he could find a friend in this one.

"Hi. My name's Ron Weasley. What's yours" he questioned, putting his arm out for a handshake.

"Harry Potter," Harry said, grabbing Ron's hand in his.

"No way! Are you really him?!" Ron blurted out, before putting his hand over his mouth. "Sorry," he said, almost at a whisper.

"S'ok," Harry said after a few moments. Harry, realizing he would most likely have to face this same situation multiple times, decided it wasn't something he should make a big deal about. Apparently, he had killed some infamous wizard when he was a baby, causing him to become equally famous, though why he was praised for taking a life baffled him. He didn't know if he should have felt guilty for killing some guy or proud of ending a wizarding war. And he was only one year old! It's not like he remembered any of it.

After Harry confirmed that he was in fact Harry Potter, Harry started asking Ron all sorts of questions, like how many brothers he had, did he know any magic, what was his favorite color, etc. Whenever Ron asked Harry any questions, he would often answer it vaguely and change the subject. None of this slipped past Ron of course, and Harry knew it. Thankfully, Ron didn't push too hard. He just pretended like he didn't notice and continued asking and answering questions.

By the time lunch came around, Harry was starving. He hadn't been able to make breakfast that morning due to the rush, and could now hear his stomach growling in protest. Though he had been hungry plenty of times before, Harry, for the first time, had the means of getting food for himself without getting in trouble. When he had gone to Diagon Alley with Hagrid, they had visited his vault which his parents, it turned out, had kept for him. He had never seen so much money in his life before, and had just grabbed a handful without counting it and stuffed it in his pockets. Though he had showed Dudley his find, he had been careful not to let his aunt and uncle find out about it. They would most likely take it from him without a thought, calling it rent.

After hearing a lady in the aisle yelling about the trolley, Harry had gotten up from his seat, mentioning to ron that he was starved.

"You won't find any real food out there. Apparently, all they sell are sweets and candies" Ron said quickly, not even looking up as he pulled out four roast beef sandwiches (no pun intended).

Harry sat back down, realizing that if he ate any sweets for the first time, on an empty stomach, on a moving train, in a cramped compartment, he would most likely get sick. Never one to complain, since if he complained at home he would be punished, he sat quietly, watching enviously as Ron ate ALL FOUR of the sandwiches, complaining of how dry they were the entire time. Harry just nodded his head, agreeing with him, as he thought to himself, At least someone you love made you lunch! I've had to make all my own food since I was seven, and I didn't even get to eat most of it anyways!

Harry was getting hungry that, by the time a Hermione Granger poked her head in their compartment, asking about a lost toad, all he had the energy to do was reply "Harry," when she asked who they were. He didn't really feeling like getting into the whole, "Yes, I was the one to kill Voldemort," speel. And apparently, this guy's name, who was dead in case it needed to be mentioned, seeing as Harry killed him, was taboo. Apparently, in polite company, one must call him, "You-Know-Who" or "He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named." Didn't make sense to Harry, so yeah, he would just call him Voldemort. The other names were too long to remember anyways.

Right before the one named Hermione left, she mentioned that they would probably want to get dressed. So Ron and Harry closed the compartment door, covered the window, and took out their robes to get changed into. Ron didn't comment on the fact that Harry was too skinny and had curious marks all up his back and arms and Harry didn't comment on the fact that Ron had beer belly and a birthmark shaped like a slug in an awkward place.

As the train stopped at their destination, Harry took a deep breath and followed Ron out of the train, hoping against all hope that there would be food at the end of their journey.

Dudley, on the other hand, was worriedly looking around a deserted King's Cross station for Harry, wondering if he had found the right platform or was sleeping at the side of the road somewhere on a bench. Dudley had hitched a ride after telling his parents he was hanging out with friends and came straight to the station. Unfortunately, it got dark soon and he had to hitch a ride back. For the next few hours after getting back home, he would lay awake, staring at the ceiling, wondering why the bed felt so empty, and hoping that he would get a letter from Harry the next day.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxox**

**Just want to send a shout out to Zorpox and Tygo24911 for being my 2nd and 3rd follower. All of your support is amazing, and I hope you enjoyed Chapter 2 :)**

**P.S. I didn't forget you Brien James. You were included in that as well.**


	3. A Trip to the Hospital Wing - Sorting

**Last time -**

As the train stopped at their destination, Harry took a deep breath and followed Ron out of the train, hoping against all hope that there would be food at the end of their journey.

Dudley, on the other hand, was worriedly looking around a deserted King's Cross station for Harry, wondering if he had found the right platform or was sleeping at the side of the road somewhere on a bench. Dudley had hitched a ride after telling his parents he was hanging out with friends and came straight to the station. Unfortunately, it got dark soon and he had to hitch a ride back. For the next few hours after getting back home, he would lay awake, staring at the ceiling, wondering why the bed felt so empty, and hoping that he would get a letter from Harry the next day.

**Chapter 3: A Trip to the Hospital Wing/ The Sorting**

Harry was waiting outside the door to the Great Hall, waiting for the one called Professor McGonagall, to say they could enter. His stomach growled loudly as he waited patiently for the doors to open, ignoring the constant chatter of Ron, who had failed to realize the Harry had stopped listening to him once he had started talking about something called the Chudley Cannons. He was starting to feel dizzy when a blond boy, who seemed oddly familiar to Harry, walked over. That's right, Harry remembered absently. He was the one I met in the Madam Malkin's while I was getting fitted!

Draco Malfoy had reminded Harry of a skinnier version of the old Dudley, spoiled and all high-and-mighty sounding. At their age, Harry realized, most kids were just a copy of their parents. They liked all the same movies as their parents, followed all the same sports teams, and believed all the same things as their parents. The spoiled ones also tended to be obnoxious as well. Harry really couldn't blame them. It wasn't really their fault. If his aunt and uncle had cared for him like they had Dudley, he probably would have turned out just like him. However, growing up isolated from his aunt and uncle resulted in him having a very different belief system, one that involved fairness and kindness, something his childhood had lacked.

So when Draco had sprouted his anti-muggleborn speech, Harry couldn't really fault him for believing that. It didn't stop him from getting upset about it, but it had prevented Harry from basing all his assumptions about Draco on his first impression.

So when Draco reached out his hand for friendship, despite the disapproving glare from Ron, Harry went to take it. However, he didn't get very far.

In a wave of dizziness, Harry's hands inches from Draco's, the world turned fuzzy. Harry started to sway back and forth, and the last thing he heard before everything turned black was the sound of Draco asking if he was alright.

Harry awoke with a start to bright, white lights. The smell of ammonia reminded him of the one time he had visited a doctor's office, when he had fallen and scraped his knee, running away from the school bullies at his elementary school. Whenever he got hurt or sick at the Dursley's house, they would just lock him in his cupboard until he got better, saying that he was already too much of a financial burden and didn't need to see a doctor. Harry realized he must be in Hogwart's version of an infirmary.

He squinted his eyes against the bright lights of the infirmary, seeming to come from the walls themselves, He didn't see any ceiling-lights afterall. Over to his right, he could hear the hushed whispers of a man and a woman in what appeared to be the doctor's office. He caught maybe a few words. "...malnourished...small..." from the woman and, "...muggles...Ron..." from the man. Harry sat up, feeling much better than he had before, and coughed a few times, making sure that the man and women knew he was awake.

After pausing in their talking for a few seconds, a tall, old man with an almost floor length beard came out of the office. "Harry!" he boomed, spreading his arms out almost as if to embrace him. "Glad you are feeling better. My name is Dumbledore and I am Headmaster here at Hogwarts."

Before Harry had a chance to reply, the woman who had followed Dumbledore out of the office hurried over to Harry's size, waving her wand all up and down Harry's person. Then she gave her wand a quick wave and a plate of food, finger crackers, cheese, and the like, appeared out of thin air onto Harry's lap. "You must eat something, Harry dear. You might pass-out again, and we wouldn't want that now, would we?" she said.

"Err, okay." Harry said, thankful that he finally had the chance to eat some food, even though he was feeling much fuller than he had before he had blacked out. Harry, between bites, started to ask the woman questions. He discovered that her name was Madame Pomfrey, had cast a spell that temporarily filled his stomach with nutrient-rich food stuff, and, after a little hesitation, said that Ron had been the one to carry Harry to the infirmary.

After asking if he could still make it to the sorting, Harry was informed that he had already missed his chance, dinner ending hours ago. Harry would have to do a belated sorting, in front of the entire school tomorrow morning. Oh joy. Harry was really looking forward to that.

With his stomach now comfortably full, Harry closed his eyes.

Meanwhile, one Draco Malfoy was in his new dorm bed, fitfully trying to fall asleep. When Harry had collapsed, Draco had managed to catch him just in time. Fearful that something was extremely wrong with him, Draco had picked Harry up, bridal style, and ran to the nearest painting. Draco absently wondered why he felt so light, but filed that information away for another time. After asking it for directions to the infirmary, he ran to it in a way unbecoming of a Malfoy.

After getting there and telling Madame Pomfrey what was wrong, he had set Harry down on the conjured hospital bed. His messy, ebony hair framed his pale face like a halo. Soon, Madame Pomfrey waved Draco out of the room, saying Harry needed his space. Draco only reluctantly left to be sorted with the rest of the rest of the first-years in the Great Hall. To no one's surprise, he was put in Slytherin, though the sorting hat had made a rather concerning comment involving Hufflepuff tendencies to Draco that he promised himself he would never tell anyone about.

After eating his fill of dessert (he was quite fond of sweets), he asked the Slytherin Prefect if he was allowed to visit the infirmary. Though he was denied entrance yet again by Pomfrey, he was assured that Harry would be alright. He just needed some rest.

Yet Draco just couldn't fall asleep. Harry was just so different from everyone Draco knew. He didn't try to get in his good graces because of Draco's father, and he didn't immediately score him because he was a Malfoy. He seemed actually interested in figuring out who he was as a person, without any of the preconceived notions of everyone else his age. It was just so refreshing.

Yet, Draco now found he had time to wonder about his weight. Didn't his family ever feed him? He didn't complain about being hungry like Draco most certainly would have. He certainly seemed perfectly fine before he had collapsed. Harry must be pretty good at hiding discomfort if no one, not even the professor, had noticed.

When Draco did finally manage to get to sleep, he dreamed of green. Bright, emerald green.

Hundreds of miles away, Dudley Dursley dreamed of green as well. However, his dreams were filled with longing as well as worry. After making sure his windows were open, the snowy owl Harry had brought home with him after going shopping with the giant man had come through, give Dudley's ears a nip. Tied to her leg was a note from Harry. Harry had somehow managed to write Dudley a letter while on the train. Dudley was full of relief at being assured by Harry that, yes, he had made it to Platform 9 3/4, that yes, Harry was safe, and that yes, he understood why Dudley had not tried harder to convince his parents to take him back home. It was as if Harry had read his mind. All the things that he had been worried sick about the previous night had turned out to be false.

Before Hedwig flew away, Dudley hurriedly wrote a reply, saying that he loved him, and that he had worried so much about him, but that his letter had fixed that. He said he was still worried, and that he missed him, but that he was glad he was safe and, seemingly, happy.

After waving goodbye to the trusty owl, Dudley marked a big red X on the calendar on his bedside table. He was already counting down the days till Christmas break.

...

Needless to say, the next morning was an interesting one for the students of Hogwarts. Everyone had heard the rumors of the great Harry Potter coming in as a first-year, yet not being sorted during the opening feast. Everyone found this to be rather odd, and if the rumors from the other first-years were anything to go by, Harry had been in an altercation with one of the new Slytherins, Draco Malfoy. Apparently if had been so bad, he had had to be taken to the infirmary.

Everyone had been surprised when a small, black hair boy was escorted into the Great Hall by the Gryffindor Head of House, Professor McGonagall. After the murmuring quieted, Headmaster Dumbledore clicked his glass to get everyone's attention, and made a speech.

"It is rather unfortunate that one of our new students was not able to be sorted yesterday. Please welcome Harry Potter as he gets to put on the sorting hat at last. Better late than never they say."

A few of the Muggleborns snickered at this. The others just looked a little confused. Headmaster Dumbledore sat back down in his chair and popped a lemon drop he had from the stores he kept in his pockets at all times.

Harry, realizing his plans of escape had a less than zero percent chance of succeeding, took a deep breath and went to go put on the hat that had been left on the stool the previous night. After putting it on, he was quite surprised to find that it talked to him. He had had no idea what to expect, missing the sorting the day before.

"I see a very complex mind for one so young," a deep, mellow voice said in Harry's mind. To think one of so few years could have experienced so much is astounding. So much pain, so much hate, so much love. With your humility and compassion, you would be well suited for Hufflepuff. Your peers would create a great network of love and support if you were placed there."

"But you also seem to have a great wish to learn. Though you have been denied proper training until now, your potential in great. In Ravenclaw, you would be able to learn to the best of you abilities, with classmates that would share your love of learning."

"As I look deeper, you seem to have a great capacity for cleverness, no doubt from learning to observe the people around you. You would be well suited towards Slytherin, perhaps more so than some of the ignorant twats I lament to say I placed there yesterday."

"However, your great sense of justice seems to point towards Gryffindor. I did sort your mother and father into that House after all. It wouldn't be a surprise if I sorted you into it as well."

"So many Houses to choose from. I often get children suited to two, sometimes three Houses, but one always appears to be most suited to them. You seem to have had little chance to develope your own character, making this one of my more difficult placements. If it was up to me, I would get rid of the whole Houses business. At such a young age. it really doesn't do a person any good to be stereotyped based on the House they are put into. But those silly founders were always competing. Seems they still compete today, through their Houses"

By the time the hat had said all of this to Harry, he had started to squirm. He had been sitting in front of the Great Hall for what seemed like forever, and hadn't even eaten breakfast yet, something about needing to eat breakfast with his House in order to form a bond.

"I find myself 'in a pickle' as the Headmaster would say. Let's see... I think, given your background and your relations with your foster family, you would do best in"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

For a moment there was complete silence through the Great Hall. You could hear a pin drop if, for some extremely odd reason, someone had been fixing a hole in their robes the Muggle way. As it was, many people were staring up at Harry with their mouths open like fish, and one person who was pouring themselves pumpkin juice seemed to have forgotten what they were doing, causing it to spill all over the table. Harry, not knowing what he had done wrong, hesitantly took the sorting hat off his head and held it out for Professor Mcgonagall to take.

"Thank you Professor. I'll be eating breakfast now."

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